déni vs dev, What's the Difference?

Which to use

“déni” is a noun and “dev” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#11,206
“déni” frequency rank: #15,608
“dev” frequency rank: 26814
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	déni	dev
Definition	Action de dénier un fait.	Forme mutée de tev par adoucissement (t → d).

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set déni and dev apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch

déni

3 ch

dev

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: déni is \de.ni\ while dev is \ˈdew\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26814, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

déni is recorded at frequency rank #11,206, classified as anoun, pronounced \de.ni\. dev is at rank #15,608, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈdew\.

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 26814, this pair ranks #332,711 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of déni vs dev

Shared letters: d. Private to "déni": iné. Private to "dev": ev.

"déni" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "dev" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

déni#11,206

dev#15,608

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "déni" and "dev" be used interchangeably?

No - they are not even the same part of speech. "déni" is a noun and "dev" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.

Which is more common, "déni" or "dev"?

"déni" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,206 in our French list, against #15,608 for "dev". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering déni vs dev

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “déni”; for an adjective, it's “dev”.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “déni” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable